Jackson, MS-The Belhaven men's soccer team is gearing up for the 2010 season following a disappointing finish to the 2009 campaign. The Blazers tournament trail a year ago came to an abrupt end at the hands of the University of Mobile in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. Belhaven ended the year with an overall record of 10-4-2 and were ranked as high as 19th during the season in the NAIA Top 25 Poll thanks to one of the toughest schedules in the country. Last year's disappointment in the GCAC tournament will be even more motivation to reach higher heights in 2010.

“Our goals as a program in 2009 were to become a competitive force on the national stage, host a home conference tournament game, win a conference championship and get to the national tournament,” says Head Coach Steve DeCou. “We finished the season with a 10-4-2 mark while our schedule was ranked the 14th most difficult in the country. In the final NAIA poll we ended the season ranked #23 (we were ranked as high as #19). The first two goals of the season we accomplished but the other two we missed the mark.”

The Blazers will have to find a way to replace some key components from the 2009 team. Belhaven had four players named to the 2009 GCAC All-Conference Team. Seniors Alan Hannon, Jose Morales, John Kehoe, and Juan Rodriguez all had great years for the Blazers. Hannon and Rodriguez were also named as NAIA Honorable Mention All Americans.

Rodriguez, a native of Kenner, LA, led the team in scoring each of the past two years. Rodriguez had 15 goals in 2009 and scored 16 during the 2008 campaign and finished his career in a Belhaven uniform with 31. Rodriguez led the GCAC in goals and game winning goals with six a year ago.

Hannon, a native of Offlay Ireland, spent four seasons in a Blazer uniform beginning in the 2006 season. Hannon scored four goals in 2009 and has 10 career goals. Hannon also did a great job of setting up scoring opportunities for his teammates recording four assists in 2009 and had a career high of six assists in 2008. Hannon was second on the team in points with 12 and also helped to anchor a strong Belhaven defense.

Morales, a native of Houston, TX, had a goal and two assists in 15 games played last year. Kehoe, who hails from Laois, Ireland, recorded a team high seven assists, which was second in the GCAC, and was fourth on the team in points with seven.

The Blazer coaching staff worked hard in the offseason to add some new talent to compliment some key returners who will back for the 2010 season. Gautier Troch, who hails from Poissy, France and will be a senior this year, is expected to be back in net for the Blazers this year. Troch was sidelined during the first half of the 2009 season with an injury, but came on late in the year posting a 4-1-1 record in seven games played. Troch made 23 saves and notched a pair of shutout victories.

Aaron McLoughlin, a native of Cooranbong, Australia, will be a junior this year and was third on the team in points last season with 11. McLoughlin had four goals and three assists while playing in all 16 games. Also back to play his senior season is Stefan Fernandez after scoring eight points for the Blazers in 2009. The Melbourne, FL native notched two goals and four assists in 14 games played a year ago. On defense, Jose Robles will be back to help shut the door on opposing offenses. Robles, a native of Tyler, TX played in all 16 games last season and scored a couple of goals from his defender spot. Other key returners include Mabior Yai who saw action in 14 games and Phillip Forsman who tallied a goal in 16 games in 2009.

“We have a lot of talent on this year's team,” says Coach DeCou. “On paper it may be the best team that I have had here at Belhaven. However, a big key for us to have a good season is team chemistry and how the players take to their roles on the team. A number of the players coming in have been the stars of their previous team, but with the talent we have it may mean they will have a different role to play here. Having good team chemistry is one of the things we have done very well here with everybody on the same page and heading in the same direction.”

Belhaven will once again play a tough schedule in 2010 with challenging conference and non-conference opponents. The Blazers open the regular season on August 27th against the University of Texas at Brownsville in Hattiesburg, MS at 5:00 PM. Belhaven's first home match of the season will be versus Louisiana College on September 2nd at H.T. Newell field which is slated for 7:00 PM. Other key non-conference opponents include LSU-Shreveport, Oklahoma City, John Brown University, Embry-Riddle University, Millsaps College and Barry University.

Beginning on October 6th, the Blazers will embark on their journey through the Southern States Athletic Conference Western Division schedule with a home contest against the University of Mobile at 7:00 PM. Belhaven will also battle familiar foes Spring Hill College, and William Carey. Faulkner University and Auburn University-Montgomery make up the other schools in the Western Division. Belhaven was picked to finish fourth in the Western Division and seventh overall in the SSAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

“Top to bottom the Western Division of the SSAC would be a great conference in and of itself,” says Coach DeCou. “However, in the Eastern Division you have Southern Poly who was a top five team in 2009, Shorter University who received votes last season, and Lee University who has won the conference the last two seasons making the SSAC one of the best conferences in the nation. One of the big advantages to being in a conference this good is that you are playing some of the best teams in the country and if you make it to the national tournament your better prepared for the challenges on the national stage.”

Fans can follow the Blazers all season long by logging on to blazers.belhaven.edu.